By: Patrick S.B. No. 945
(In the Senate - Filed February 24, 2011; March 8, 2011,
read first time and referred to Committee on Higher Education;
March 17, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6,
Nays 0; March 17, 2011, sent to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to authorizing a public junior college to award an
associate degree to a student enrolled in a four-year public
institution of higher education who previously attended the junior
college.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.833 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.833. CREDIT TRANSFER FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE.
(a) This section applies to a student enrolled in a general
academic teaching institution who:
(1) transferred to the institution from or previously
attended a public junior college;
(2) earned at least 30 credit hours for course work
successfully completed at the public junior college; and
(3) has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 credit
hours for course work successfully completed.
(b) As soon as practicable after a student who is enrolled
in a general academic teaching institution has met the criteria
established by Subsection (a)(3), the institution by e-mail or
other reasonable method shall request authorization from the
student for the institution to release the student's transcript to
the public junior college that the student previously attended for
the purpose of determining whether the student has earned the
credits required for an associate degree awarded by the junior
college. On receipt of a student's authorization under this
subsection, the institution shall release the student's transcript
to the public junior college.
(c) After receiving a student transcript from a general
academic teaching institution under Subsection (b), a public junior
college shall review the transcript and, if the public junior
college determines the student has earned the credits required to
receive an associate degree awarded by the junior college, may
award the student the degree.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a
student who not earlier than the 2011 fall semester transfers to or
otherwise initially enrolls in a general academic teaching
institution after attending a public junior college.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
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